| What
is a Belief? It is a principal accepted as true or real without
any proof – an opinion – a conviction:
Our
beliefs about ourselves, and the world, are like a steering
wheel that stops us going in certain directions and keeps
us going in others. If you’re not sure what your beliefs
are, just look at the circumstances of your life. Whatever
results have been showing up in your life over a period of
time are a pretty accurate reflection of your beliefs about
yourself & the world you live in.
Beliefs are developed in a number of ways: They start in childhood
and we take them from other people, from observing the experiences
of others, & from drawing conclusions from everything
we learn, experience & “know”. Our beliefs
help us get a sense of stability in a chaotic environment
– this is a good thing. It allows us to have a sense
of security & certainty, which can help us operate on
a day-to-day basis. This sense of certainty that beliefs give
us is so comforting, that we often fail to remember a very
important fact:
Our
beliefs are not always true.
We
can all look at the same situation and take a different view
of it because that is how humans work - ‘The map is
not the territory’ as it were. Our beliefs create part
of our own mental map about ourselves, other people, &
the world we inhabit. We do not question these beliefs, they
become automatic. SO – what if you did question the
ones that no longer serve you?
The
most important opinion that a person has is about themselves.
This is generally set by age 12. Self-image is a collection
of all the lifetimes’ attitudes, and opinions from others.
It creates the belief of who/what we are.
The
unconscious mind does not evaluate or judge and can not deal
with a negative. Everything is filtered through your perceptions
– you see what you expect and ignore the rest. So,
what you expect will happen, you will always find the evidence
to support what you believe …right or wrong.
Negative/limiting
beliefs hold us back and prevent us moving forward. Generally
they are not going to be resolved by pure positive thinking,
so if affirmations are not working look into what the limiting
belief could be? The human brain will always try to find an
answer to questions posed regardless of what they are.
Questions
are used to fact find, seek opinion, gather information, request
consent, interrogate. Who, what, when, how, did, is, can,
have, will, has, are, do ….. Be challenging with yourself
and gentle. The first answer may not be the full story.
Try these for starters:
What do you really want?
What are you tolerating?
What does it mean to be a good friend/parent/spouse?
What motivates you?
Write
your thoughts down and then do something to move yourself
forward. If you can’t do it on your own, ask for some
help …. There is never a wrong answer, we are all individuals
and have all our own answers within.
What happens when you want to make a change?
Some of our beliefs are positive & empowering, other beliefs
are limiting. They will all have been useful at some point
in time, and the ones that are limiting can be thought of
as ‘out of date’. Beliefs are part of our mental
software, and as such, it’s important to keep them up
to date. The process for keeping beliefs up to date is as
follows:
a) Identify limiting beliefs
b) Re-connect with ‘reality’
c) Create new, empowering beliefs to replace them
There are many techniques to move through this process, &
we all have the ability to change our beliefs keeping in mind
that we have to stay true to our own morals and ethics.
What
will you gain from letting go of your limiting beliefs? Identifying
them is a great start and if you feel there is more to do
please
get in touch with
us and see where some coaching can take you. Go on, “Let
us set you free”.
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